Fortaleza, 17 June 2014. The Estadio Castelao held its breath as Neymar unleashed a thunderbolt from inside the penalty area. Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico's goalkeeper, dived to his right and somehow pushed the ball wide with his fingertips. It was not his only miracle that afternoon; there were stops against Thiago Silva and Paulinho too, each one more improbable than the last. By the final whistle of a 0-0 draw with Brazil, Ochoa had become a national hero, his bald head and calm demeanour symbolising everything Mexican fans wanted their team to be: brave, defiant, unforgettable. Twelve years later, Ochoa is still standing, this time at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ on the continent where he has made his club home. Now in his early forties, he is competing in a sixth World Cup, a figure that places him among the most enduring goalkeepers the competition has ever seen. The journey back was not straightforward. After Qatar 2022, he admitted that the desert tournament might be his last. Injuries to other keepers and a refusal to surrender opened the door, and coach Javier Aguirre walked through it, handing Ochoa the gloves for a tournament co-hosted by Mexico itself. The contrast between 2014 and 2026 is striking. In Fortaleza, Ochoa was the underdog keeper facing the five-time champions on their own soil. In 2026, he is the veteran custodian protecting a host nation's hopes in stadiums filled with green jerseys. The reflexes may have slowed fractionally, but the positional intelligence has deepened. Where he once relied on athletic explosions, he now commands his area like a chess master, organising a defence that knows every mistake will be magnified by expectation. Mexico's ambition in this tournament extends beyond the group stage. With games spread from Mexico City to Los Angeles, the path to a first quarter-final since 1986 feels within reach if Ochoa can reproduce even echoes of his 2014 form. For a player who once thought his World Cup story had ended, the 2026 finals across the United States, Canada and Mexico offer one last chance to add a glorious final chapter. The wall that denied Brazil may yet deny the rest of North America.